Golf club head cleaner



p 15, 1964 L. L. SMITH GOLF CLUB HEAD CLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 19, 1962 INVENTOR. L1. OYD L, SM/rq Sept. 15, 1964 L. L. SMITH 3,148,396

GOLF CLUB HEAD CLEANER Filed Feb. 19, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. LLOYD L- 5440" BY 77m m/Z/m United States Patent 3,143,396 GQLF CLUB I-EAD CLEANER Lloyd L. Smith, Whittier, Calif., assignor to Ace of filubs Golf Cleaner, Incorporated, Monterey Park, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Feb. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 174,013 Claims. (1. 15-21) This invention relates to the cleaning of golf club heads, as by the aid of rotary brushes.

By the very nature of the use of golf clubs, an accumulation of soil on the heads is a common occurrence. Such accumulation may destroy the balance of the club and if deeply encrusted upon the head, interferes with the proper stroking of the ball.

It has been common in the past to use a cleaning liquid and a hand brush to remove the foreign matter; but this is a slow and tedious operation.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a simple and effective power operated golf club head clean- It is another object of tln's invention to provide a golf club head cleaner that is adapted to clean both irons and woods without danger of injury to the woods.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form in the drawin s accompanying and forming a part of the present specification, and which drawings, unless as otherwise indicated, are true scale. This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of an apparatus incorporating the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along a plane corresponding to line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section taken along a plane corresponding to line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along a plane corresponding to line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

There are provided a pair of parallel shafts 1 and 2 arranged on vertical axes. Each of these shafts has a pair of nylon bristle brushes of general cylindrical shape mounted in spaced axial relationship onthe respective shaft.

For example, in FIG. 4 the shaft 2 is shown as mounting an upper rotary brush 3 and a lower rotary brush 4. Similar brushes 5 and 6 are mounted on the other shaft 1.

The brushes 3 and 5 are purposely made smaller in diameter than the brushes 4 and 6. The set of brushes 3 and 4 is opposed to the set of brushes 5 and 6 and in alignment therewith so that golf club heads may be inserted into the space between these brushes.

Thus the brushes 4 and 6 which occupy a position beneath the brushes 3 and 5 approach close together so that a relatively narrow club head 7, such as an iron (FIG. 5), may be inserted between the brushes for scrubbing.

As hereinafter explained, a cleaning liquid may be delivered to the brushes so that an effective cleansing is performed by the brushes which rotate in opposite directions, as indicated by arrows 8 and 9 (FIG. 3).

The upper brushes 3 and 5 as illustrated in FIG. 3 are spaced farther apart and therefore permit the entry of the head 10, such as a wood.

Since as hereinafter explained the shafts 1 and 2 are rotated from a common source of power, the smaller ice diameter brushes 3 and 5 operate at a lower peripheral speed than the brushes 4 and 6. Accordingly there is a gentler brushing effect upon the more delicate wood heads.

The club heads may be inserted through openings 12 and 13 formed in sheet metal cover 11 of a frame 14. The openings are suificiently wide to permit manipulation or angular adjustment of the club head 7 or 10 to subject all surfaces of the head to the action of the bristles.

The frame or casing 14, made of sheet metal, is arranged to provide a support for all of the operating parts of the mechanism. Thus it is provided with four vertical channel irons 15, 16, 17 and 18 which form legs for the frame 14. These upright channel irons may be appropriately welded interiorly of the side panels of the frame or casing 14.

As shown most clearly in FIG. 4, a plate 19 is attached to the channel irons 1'7 and 18 and extends downwardly for a distance to form a back for the frame 14. A sloping bottom 213 is indicated in FIG. 4 and provides a reservoir for the cleaning liquid 21, by the aid of a rear wall 22 joined to the inner side of the angle irons 17 and 1S, and a front wall 46. The upper edge of this wall 46 is joined to the lower edge of a sloping wall 45 of cover 11.

Power for rotating the four brushes 3, 4, 5 and 6 is obtained from an electric motor 23 mounted on a bracket 24. This bracket 24 is firmly fixed to the inner side of the rear plate 19.

The motor 23 is provided with a drive pulley 25 which belt drives a pulley 26. This pulley 26 is attached to the shaft 1 and serves as well to drive a pulley 27 located beneath the pulley 26. This pulley 27 is joined as by the cross belt 28 to a pulley 29 mounted on the shaft 2. Th lower ends of shafts 1 and 2 are supported by the aid of bearing structures 30 mounted on an angle iron 31. This angle iron 31 is attached between the channel irons 15 and 16.

The upper ends of the shafts 1 and 2 are supported in bearings 32 mounted on an angle iron 33 disposed above the channel irons 15 and 16 (FIG. 4).

The cover member 11 is fastened to the sides of the frame 14 by the use of the elongated clips 51) and 61.

The openings 12 and 13 in the cover member are formed by inwardly converging extensions 34 and 35 shown to best advantage in FIGS. 3 and 5.

The frame 14 carries an intermediate vertical wall 36 (FIG. 4) to which are attached the transverse angle irons 37 and 38. Supported on and attached to these angle irons are trays 3? and 40. These trays are of T-shaped configuration and have bent-up forward edges or aprons 41 and 42 attached to the clips 43 and 44. These clips are mounted on the inner side of the cover 11 and adjacent the lower edges of openings 12 and 13. The edges or aprons 41 and 42 serve as guides for the club heads and also serve to drain any cleaning liquid 21 that may spatter on this apron. As shown most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4, this inclined forward edge extends inwardly beyond the lower edge of the openings.

As shown most clearly in FIGS. 3 and 5, the narrow body 39 or 49 leaves spaces on each side of the frame 14 for passing liquid downwardly to the reservoir at the bottom of the frame and into the body of reserve liquid 21.

At the upper edge of each of the openings 12 and 13 there are shelves 47 and 48. The cleaning liquid is pumped on top of the shelves 47 and 48 so that the cleaning liquid may flow downwardly over the brushes 3, 4, 5 and 6. The supply of liquid is provided by the aid of a pump 49 appropriately mounted and having an outlet conduit 51), its inlet being submerged in the body of the liquid. This conduit 513 has a branch 51 to supply liquid to the upper shelf 47, and controlled by a valve 52. Similarly, another branch 53 is provided for discharging .9 liquid over the shelf 48. This branch is controlled by a valve 54. The pump 49 may be driven by a motor 55.

In order to provide a drain for the liquid 21, a hose 56 is provided connected to the drain pipe 57. It may end in a hooked conduit 58 that may rest on the upper edge of the Wall 22, While the drain is inactive.

The inventor claims:

1. In a golf club head cleaner: a pair of vertically disposed shafts; means rotatably supporting said shafts in spaced relationship; a pair of rotary brushes mounted on each of said shafts and axially spaced along the shaft, the brushes on one shaft opposing the respective brushes on the other shaft and one set of opposed brushes being of larger diameter than the other set of opposed brushes to provide less clearance therebetween; power means for driving the shafts; means for supplying cleaning liquid to the brushes including a pair of conduits respectively located above the sets of opposed brushes; and distributor plates upon which the liquid is deposited from the conduits.

2. In a golf club head cleaner: a pair of shafts; means rotatably supporting said shafts in spaced relationship; a pair of rotary brushes mounted on each of the shafts and axially spaced along the shaft, the brushes on one shaft opposing the respective brushes on the other shaft; power means for driving the shafts; means for supplying cleaning fluid to said brushes; a casing for the brushes and the shafts; and trays supported by the casing and extending beneath the brushes, said casing having openings for the passage of golf club heads to the spaces between the sets of opposed brushes and said trays having bent-up forward edges to serve as guides for the club heads and as drains for cleaning fluid that may spatter on said forward edges.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 2, with the addition of shelves above the set of brushes, the means for supplying liquid being arranged to discharge said liquid to the shelves.

4. In a golf club head cleaner: a pair of shafts; means rotatably supporting said shafts in spaced relationship; a rotary brush mounted on each of said shafts in opposed relationship to the brush on the other shaft; power means for driving the shafts; means for supplying cleaning liquid to the brushes, said means including a pair of conduits each located above one of said brushes; and distributor plates upon which the liquid is deposited from the conduits.

5. In a golf club head cleaner: a pair of shafts; means rotatably supporting said shafts in spaced relationship; a rotary brush mounted on each of said shafts in opposed relationship to the brush on the other shaft; power means for driving the shafts; means for supplying cleaning fluid to said brushes; a casing for the brushes and the shafts, said casing having an opening for the passage of golf club heads to the space between the opposed brushes; and a tray supported by the casing and extending beneath the brushes, said tray having a bent-up forward edge to serve as a guide for the club heads and as a drain for cleaning fluid that may spatter on said forward edge.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,359,568 Logan Oct. 3, 1944 2,381,054 Holmes Aug. 7, 1945 2,619,663 Johnson Dec. 2, 1952 2,865,034 Petite Dec. 23, 1958 2,962,739 Schoch Dec. 6, 1960 

1. IN A GOLF CLUB HEAD CLEANER: A PAIR OF VERTICALLY DISPOSED SHAFTS; MEANS ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID SHAFTS IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP; A PAIR OF ROTARY BRUSHES MOUNTED ON EACH OF SAID SHAFTS AND AXIALLY SPACED ALONG THE SHAFT, THE BRUSHES ON ONE SHAFT OPPOSING THE RESPECTIVE BRUSHES ON THE OTHER SHAFT AND ONE SET OF OPPOSED BRUSHES BEING OF LARGER DIAMETER THAN THE OTHER SET OF OPPOSED BRUSHES TO PROVIDE LESS CLEARANCE THEREBETWEEN; POWER MEANS FOR DRIVING THE SHAFTS; MEANS FOR SUPPLYING CLEANING LIQUID TO THE BRUSHES INCLUDING A PAIR OF CONDUITS RESPECTIVELY LOCATED ABOVE THE SETS OF OPPOSED BRUSHES; AND DISTRIBUTOR PLATES UPON WHICH THE LIQUID IS DEPOSITED FROM THE CONDUITS. 